Iraq’s Diyala opts out of looming Kurd region poll

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Local officials in Iraq’s eastern Diyala province on Tuesday announced their decision not to take part in an upcoming referendum on Kurdish regional independence, Anadolu Agency reports.

At a press conference, Ali Dayini, head of Diyala’s provincial assembly, announced that the council had voted not to include the province in the upcoming poll, which is slated to be held later this month.

According to Dayini, the province currently faces more pressing issues, including the repatriation of residents displaced by the ongoing fight against the Daesh terrorist group.

Scheduled for Sept. 25, the non-binding referendum will see residents of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region vote on whether or not to declare independence from Baghdad.

Earlier this month, Turkmen and Arab residents of Diyala’s Medeli district expressed their opposition to the planned referendum by tearing down Kurdish regional flags in the area and raising Iraqi flags in their place.